The Dare
by smylealong2k
Summary: The dare was simple- travel incognito in the Metro for 10 stops. What Yi jeong hadn't counted on was hat he would meet someone during his foray in the world of commoners.


_Gu Jun Pyo, you are so dead!_

So Yi Jeong grumbled murderously as he pulled his baseball cap lower. It was all his fault! Well, not entirely, but in a way. Technically it was Jan Di and Jae Kyung who were to be blamed, but Yi Jeong never raised his hand on women so Jun Pyo will have to bear the brunt. After all, he was Jan Di's boyfriend or as he liked to say, her soul-mate!

Yi Jeong scowled to himself as he walked down the stairs, his hands tucked firmly in his jacket pocket. For the umpteenth time, he wondered what he was doing here and if it was all worth it. But then, his pride took over and reminded him that the great So Yi Jeong _never_ backed out from a challenge. NEVER!

It had begun innocently enough. The six of them had been in the F4 lounge spending a lazy evening. Jan Di and Jun Pyo had been alternatively cuddling or quarreling or doing a strange mix of the two. Ji Hoo was fiddling with his guitar. Jae Kyung was thoroughly trouncing Woo Bin at a video game and Yi Jeong had been doing some paperwork for his next exhibit. It had been perfect. But then, out of the blue, Jun Pyo came up with the idea of 'Truth or Dare'. The conditions were that if a person is asked a question they were to answer truthfully. In case they didn't want to answer, they were supposed to accept a dare. It had been fun while it lasted but then, Ji Hoo had to ask a very uncomfortable question.

"Yi Jeong," Ji Hoo turned to him, "Will you ever settle for one woman?"

Yi Jeong could still feel the discomfort from the question rise within his abdomen. Will he? There had been only one woman who set his heart beating in an erratic rhythm and she was now his brother's fiancée. It was ironic that one of the biggest Casanovas of Korea could never confess his feelings to the one woman that he had truly wanted. No one, not even his best friends, knew that he had loved and lost. Ji Hoo's question had hit too close home. It had threatened to open an old wound; one that had never completely healed.

A few painful seconds later, Yi Jeong had laughed and opted for a dare. And that was how he was here. His dare, set by Jan Di and Jae Kyung, was that he was to take the metro, travel ten stops and he had to do it incognito. If anyone recognized him, it meant that he had failed in his dare. So here he was, dressed in clothes that he wouldn't be caught dead in otherwise, traipsing down a staircase that was riddled with commoners. He cast an eye over his shabby ensemble yet again and suppressed a groan of mortification. He was wearing a brown plaid cotton shirt, a pair of corduroy pants, a denim jacket, a discolored baseball cap and sneakers. The baseball cap and the raised collar of his jacket kept his face hidden but he couldn't swallow the lump of nervousness that had firmly housed itself in his throat.

Finally he had managed to climb down the staircase without being recognized. He walked carefully; his head bowed and made his way to a place that wasn't very well lit. Common sense told him that he wouldn't be recognized. No one would expect So Yi Jeong to be loitering in a tacky metro station for one thing. And secondly, no one would even dream of seeing him clothed like this. It was a mixed feeling really. While a part of him was relieved that there weren't hordes of fan-girls running towards him, screaming and squealing and he actually enjoyed this unexpected anonymity. Another, more vain part of him wondered if stylish clothes and flashy cars were all that made him who he was. He was still So Yi Jeong for crying out loud! The world famous upcoming artist and one of Korea's most famous faces; not to mention, one of F4! He was used to adulation, he was born into it. He felt strangely naked without it.

Jan Di had assured him that this wasn't the peak hour and that the crowd wouldn't be too much, so he figured he'd manage. The train came to a stop at the station and passengers started to disembark or get on it and all Yi Jeong could do was gape. _This is light traffic?_ He opened and closed his mouth several times trying to come up with proper words to describe his indignity, but none came to his mind.

"Young man," an old man snapped at him, "Are you coming in or not?"

He blinked and nodded. With a couple of quick strides he walked in and just in time because the door swept shut almost immediately. The metro started to move and Yi Jeong, who was completely unprepared, was instantly thrown off balance and landed on his buttocks.

"Ow," he muttered his face tomato red from embarrassment. Thankfully his baseball cap stayed firmly on his head. He lifted himself up and brushed his behind as he distinctly heard the snickers from a group of girls standing behind him. For a moment he contemplated taking his cap off and flashing his million dollar grin at them and watch them reduce into a pile of giggling, squealing mess, but that would mean that he had failed his dare and that would be unacceptable. So, biting back a frustrated groan of humiliation, he made his way through the crowd, his head resolutely fixed on the floor.

He walked on till he reached the last carriage. Spotting an empty seat, he sat down and waited for the tenth station to arrive. The F3 and those two hellcats would be waiting for him in the station to ensure that he had completed the dare. All he had to do was stay calm, not talk to anyone and keep his head bowed. He hadn't been recognized so far, there was no reason why he should be identified now. He just had to lay low for about half an hour, how hard could that be?

_Two down, eight more to go!_ He thought as the metro started to move again. He kept his eyes focused on his fingers, counting the stations mentally. From the corner of his eyes he spotted someone dressed in blue sit down next to him. From the whiff of the flowery perfume and the slight frame, he guessed it was a female. The Casanova in him wanted to take a peek, just to know how she looked but then he couldn't risk being identified. He leaned back on his chair, crossed his arms and legs and kept his head bowed. It had barely been a few moments when suddenly he felt something heavy land on his shoulder. Surprised he turned to find the girl resting her head on his shoulder.

_What the …?_

"Miss," he said in a low voice, "Excuse me."

The girl remained still, her black hair forming a curtain of soft curls that hid her face from his view. This wasn't good. Who was this girl? And had she recognized him? He tapped her on her shoulder as he raised his voice half an octave, "Mam, excuse me!"

No response! What a bother! What exactly was he supposed to do? He looked around but the people in the car seemed oblivious to his mini crisis. He chewed the inside of his cheek trying to think what to do next. As the fourth station came by, Yi Jeong decided that it was time to be a little rude. He grabbed hold of her arm and pushed her upright. The girl moaned, her eyes closed and her head lolling slightly. He noticed a few things immediately; the girl was incredibly beautiful and that she was very sick. Her flushed face and the color on her cheeks were indications enough, but he touched a couple of fingers to her forehead just to confirm. Sure enough, she was burning up. Yi Jeong held her arm firmly as he lay her head on the backrest gently. He had a feeling that the second he let go of her, she would collapse.

He looked around once more but no one had cast a second glance at them. Suppressing a sigh, he shook her gently. The girl opened her eyes wearily.

"Madam," he asked slowly, "Who are you with?"

She shook her head in response.

Yi Jeong's eyes widened, "You're here on your own?"

She nodded slowly, her each breath labored. How had she managed to board this train on her own? Just what were these commoners made of? Feeling a strange mix of annoyance and respect for this stranger, Yi Jeong leaned closer to her ears, "Where do you get off?"

She murmured her response which he didn't catch. She repeated it, slightly louder. She was getting down four stops from here – two stops before Yi Jeong's. He debated whether or not to let her go by herself but then decided against it. He would walk out with her, put her in a cab and then be done with it. He knew that he would never know peace and would keep wondering what happened to her, whether she reached home safely or not. He could always board the next train and his friends would be none the wiser. His decision made, Yi Jeong waited till her stop came by, his hand lending her a gentle yet firm support.

At the station, he urged her to get up from her seat and guided her out of the train. Taking a moment to gather his bearings, Yi Jeong spotted the exit and started to walk towards it. The girl was leaning on him for support, almost delirious from her fever. As he walked up the stairs and out of the station, a disturbing thought crossed his mind. What if the cab driver spotted her condition and decided to take advantage of it? She most definitely wouldn't be able to defend herself. His artist's imagination went in overdrive as he visualized the headlines next morning and gilt roiled in his stomach. Yi Jeong was brought up as a gentleman and chivalrous men most certainly did not abandon women, especially when they were in no condition to fend for themselves.

Upon reaching the line for cabs, Yi Jeong asked her for her address. It took a couple of tries but she finally managed to complete the address. He hailed a cab, put her in and slid down next to her. Then he gave the cabbie her address. The girl continued to sit, unmoving, eyes closed, and her head on the backrest. Fifteen minutes later they were at the address. Yi Jeong paid the cabbie and got her out. He took her purse and dug out her keys. He sat her down on the stairs and unlocked the door. Then he picked her up and guided her into the apartment, his fingers fiddling the wall next to him to find a light switch. He flipped it on and gasped. She lived in a studio apartment that was tinier than his bathroom. The apartment was neat, despite the odd item of clothing strewn here and there.

Gently he laid her down on the mattress on the floor that served as her bed. He spotted the bathroom across the apartment and walked over to it. He filled a mug with water and took a hand towel from the cupboard. Then he sat on the floor, dipped the towel in the water and made a compress out of it. After a few rounds, her temperature started to go down. As he was applying the sixth round of compress, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Yo my bro," Woo Bin voice came from the other end, "Where are you? Hope you're not lost."

_Lost? _Yi Jeong wondered looking at the beautiful face in front of him, _No, I'm not lost. I think I just found myself._

Huh? What? Where did that come from?

"So Yi Jeong," Woo Bin sounded worried, "You there bro?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah I'm here and no, I'm not lost," he answered, "Just a bit busy, that's all. I took a detour of sorts."

"I don't believe it!" that was Jun Pyo, so he was on speaker; "You managed to pick up a girl there as well, didn't you?"

Yi Jeong grinned. Jun Pyo was close to the truth but they would never believe that his motives were entirely altruistic. Something about this girl triggered the possessive and hitherto unknown side of him. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want her to stay alone in this condition. He cleared his throat slightly, "Well, I wouldn't be So Yi Jeong if I didn't."

"You're UN-believable!" that was Jae Kyung, "You turn a dare into … into … this!"

Yi Jeong chuckled and considered telling them exactly what he was doing but decided against it. They wouldn't believe him anyway. To be entirely honest, even he couldn't believe it, so what were the chances that they would buy his story? He decided to let them draw their own conclusions.

"Well I haven't been recognized, so I'm doing well with my dare so far," he said as he changed the compress.

"You just said your name out loud, how can you say you've not been recognized," Jan Di queried.

"You'll just have to take my word for it," he answered. At that very moment, the girl let out a moan and mumbled something incoherently.

"Oh dear God!" Jae Kyung sounded horrified, "Was that a moan? Wait! No, I don't even want to know!"

Yi Jeong chuckled as Ji Hoo spoke, "We're hanging up. Don't want to hear any sordid details."

He pocketed the phone with a wide grin on his face. He could just picture the twin looks of disgust and horror on those two girls' faces and he felt a childish pleasure at that. Serves them right!

* * *

When Ga Eul's eyes fluttered open, she noticed that it was still dark and that she was home. Funny she had no recollection of ever coming home last night. In fact the last thing she remembered was leaving the kindergarten early because she was feeling unwell. She had somehow reached the metro station and found a seat. The next thing she remembered was someone shaking her, asking her the station she gets off at. Something about that voice had sounded reassuring and she had responded. She recollected flashes of getting into a cab and someone putting a compress on her forehead. She sat up on her bed, her head reeling at the movement. She closed her eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass.

Tentatively she opened her eyes and realized that a damp towel was on her lap. She guessed she still had a compress on. This meant… her eyes widened as comprehension dawned on her. She whipped her head around and sure enough, there was someone lying on the floor. One look at the strange man sleeping on her floor sent Ga Eul into complete panic and she screamed.

The man woke up with a scream of his own, looked momentarily disoriented and then realized where he was and what had happened.

"Wow," he muttered running a hand through his hair, "For someone who had fever for most of last evening, hasn't eaten a morsel and has thrown up multiple times, you sure can scream."

Ga Eul blinked, "Thrown up?"

"Yup. I would suggest drink some water before dehydration sets in," he replied rolling his shoulders and neck.

"Wait … So… Who are you?"

"The man who brought you home and nursed you so that you could scream your lungs off," he replied with a small smile.

It was then that Ga Eul looked at him. Really looked at him and realized that he was drop-dead gorgeous. Funnily enough, he also looked familiar but for the world of her, she couldn't remember where she had seen him. Suddenly aware that she was staring at him, she quickly got up and walked over to her kitchen.

"Oh I took the liberty of making and having some ramen from your kitchen, I hope you don't mind," he called after her.

Despite herself, Ga Eul felt a smile tugging at her lips, "Sorry for waking you up like that," she said as she filled a glass with water, "I'm not used to seeing strange men sleeping on the floor in the middle of the night."

The man grinned and Ga Eul was momentarily dazed. His smile was so sinfully brilliant that it should be illegal. To distract herself, she drank the water and rinsed her glass. Keeping the glass on the counter she asked the question that was bothering her, "You look awfully familiar, have we met before?"

The man cocked his head to the side and studied her contemplatively. Finally he answered, "No, I don't think so."

She shrugged, "Strange. I could swear I've seen you somewhere before."

"I get that a lot," he muttered.

"So, you just nursed a complete stranger?" she was still trying to wrap her head around this seemingly random act of kindness.

He nodded, "I would've been a pretty pathetic excuse for a human if I left you alone in that state."

She shook her head, "I … I don't even know how to thank you."

"A cup of coffee would be good," he responded.

What? Now he was asking her out for coffee? Ga Eul stared at him wondering what to respond when he spoke up again, "Or tea, whatever you have in stock really. I just need some hot liquid in my system right now. It's kind of cold on the floor."

Ga Eul felt a blush creep up her face as she realized just how mistaken she was, "I'm so sorry. I'll make it right away. How do you like your coffee?"

"Black. No cream or sugar."

As the two settled drinking their beverages, a cup of coffee for him and a glass of hot milk for her, the Sun started to rise.

"I'm Chu Ga Eul. Thank you so much for taking care of me. I …"

He waved a hand dismissing her gratitude, "Please, don't embarrass me. I'm Yi Jeong."

Yi Jeong? Yi Jeong? Like his face, his name was incredibly familiar as well but Ga Eul just couldn't recollect from where or how she knew him.

"It is strange," Ga Eul spoke as she watched the sun rise from her window, "A complete stranger does something that not many so called friends would do."

"Life is strange that way. I mean my family has done nothing but hurt me, ever since I was a child, but my friends have been more than my family," he paused as his eyes grew wide. He muttered a curse, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that. I don't normally speak of such things to anyone."

Ga Eul smiled, "That's because I'm a stranger. Sometimes it's easier to confide into a stranger than it is to your best of friends."

Yi Jeong studied her carefully for a while, as if weighing her words.

Sensing his discomfort she smiled, "If it makes you feel better, I'll share an embarrassing tit bit from my life. When I was four years old, I had decided that I was going to marry the boy living next door. When I told my mom about it, she laughed. Not in a mood to let parental incredulity be in the way of my 'true love' I eloped with him. Only to be brought back home by our regular ice-cream vendor. He dragged the 'bride' and 'groom' by their ears."

That brought a chuckle from him, "So sorry to hear the tragic end of your love story."

"Oh that wasn't the end," she answered with a smile.

"Really? Don't tell me the rebellious love continued?" he asked with a wide grin.

"Oh yes, for two more days. We threw some tantrums and it continued till his father put him across his lap and gave him some spanking," she finished to his howls of laughter.

The two sat there, watching the sunrise and swapping hilarious stories from their childhood. Ga Eul was pleasantly surprised to realize that she actually enjoyed his company. Her interactions with the opposite sex had so far been pretty limited and she wasn't someone who very comfortable talking with perfect strangers, yet here she was, sitting in her apartment with a man about whom she knew nothing save his name. There was something about him that both excited her as well as gave her a sense of security and she knew that she'd like to know more about this man sitting across her.

Finally at around seven thirty Yi Jeong stood up, "Mind if I use your bathroom?"

She shook her head, "Go right in."

He walked in and she switched on the TV for the morning news. It was her habit to have it playing in the background as she made breakfast and cleaned the house. She had been beating a couple of eggs when a particular news report caught her ears. She walked over in front of the TV and stared at the images displaying on the screen, her chores forgotten.

Yi Jeong had never enjoyed himself as much as he had in these past couple of hours. Ga Eul was so easy to talk to that he had forgotten that they were complete strangers. Several times he had caught himself telling things he never with anyone other than F4. But somehow, the strange warmth that encompassed him in her company loosened his tongue and sneaked past his defenses.

He wiped his hands and face and walked out of the bathroom to find Ga Eul looking at him, her face ashen.

"What's wrong? You're feeling sick again?" he asked with genuine concern.

"You … you …," she muttered, "You're So Yi Jeong?"

He blinked a couple of times and then his eyes fell on the TV. There on the screen he saw himself sitting on a chair, telling an obviously fawning reporter about his latest exhibition. He let out an inaudible curse and held up his hands, "Guilty as charged."

She took a deep breath and in a surprisingly calm voice asked, "May I ask exactly what is a world famous artist and playboy doing in my apartment?"

"My reason for being here hasn't changed Ga Eul yang," he replied softly.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a few deep breaths, "I … I don't know what to say. It's a little… strange. I mean I have a celebrity here in my house… who watched me throw up! Ugh! This is beyond embarrassing."

"You're not angry?" he asked confused.

"Angry?" she looked like the idea hadn't occurred to her, "Why should I be angry?"

"I hid my identity," he answered slowly.

"We're strangers, Yi Jeong. You don't owe me the truth," she said with a shrug, "And frankly, had you told me who you are, I'd probably have laughed at your face. Besides, you live your life under constant scrutiny. I would think an occasional foray into anonymity is excused, isn't it?"

Slowly he felt his lips break into a smile, "I'll be leaving now Ga Eul yang."

An unidentifiable emotion flitted across her face before she broke into a beautiful smile that made his heart skip a beat. Before he knew it he found himself saying, "This isn't goodbye. Not by any stretch of imagination."

"What do you mean?" she asked perplexed.

He took a couple of steps and bridged the distance between them and grabbed her hands, "Honestly, I don't know. All I know is that if I say goodbye now, I'm going to regret it deeply."

She opened her mouth and closed it, unsure of what to say. Yi Jeong raised her fingers to his lips and gave a slight kiss, "I'll get in touch again, soon."

With that promise, he bowed and walked out of the apartment. As he fished out his phone to call his manager for the car, he realized that maybe the woman who lived in that tiny apartment was the answer to Ji Hoo's question.


End file.
